Red
by FindMeInTheDark
Summary: This isn't the way I had wanted to tell you, but this may be my only chance. Stiles, I love you. I love your sarcastic jokes and the way you make me feel beautiful and how you know just the right thing to say at just the right time. I love you for a million other things but most of all I love you for being you!


**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf, or anything else recognizable. No infringement intended. But I do wish I owned Stiles and Lydia, because then they would be together forever and living on cloud nine. Sadly, I don't :(**

**AN: This is an alternative universe where the twins never interfered to gain the affections of Danny and Lydia, but before the darach was revealed to be Jennifer Blake and after Lydia was identified as a banshee. Enjoy the Stydia :)**

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**Red**

Lydia Martin flipped her glossy strawberry blond, almost red, hair over her shoulder as she walked down the hallways of Beacon Hills High School, hyperaware of all of the eyes following her. Everyone thought she was just the pretty airhead girl that only cared about her status as queen bee on the social hierarchy and they all wanted to be with her. But there was so much more to her and only her true friends would only ever know the truth.

Everything including the small little detail about her being the local wailing woman.

She gave an oblivious smile and continued down the hall until she stood next to her huntress best friend. "I think we should go out tonight. Maybe go shopping or catch a movie or something," she started without preamble or a courteous hello. "Anything to take out minds off this supernatural business." Things had been regrettably hectic for a while in Beacon Hills.

Allison swapped out one of her books for another and slammed her locker shut before turning to face her friend. She smiled and shouldered her bag. "I think that's a great idea, Lydia. We need a break from all of it for a little while."

The two made plans to meet up again in a few hours as they continued through the school before exiting outside to the parking lot. As the two friends made their way to Allison's car they passed Stiles and Scott where they stood next to Stiles' powder blue Jeep.

They paused and Allison and Scott began flirting under the pretense of thinly veiled pleasantries and other mundane topics like the homework they have in English. It was embarrassing. They should have just gotten back together already instead of pretending like they didn't love each other and stop making it awkward for everyone else around them.

"Hey, Lydia."

Lydia turned at the sound of her name and looked at Stiles. He smiled warmly at her and she couldn't stop herself from smiling back.

"Stiles."

She found herself liking the way he looked at her. He didn't look at her like she was some conquest or a piece of meat like the other boys did. He didn't even look at her like she was just a pretty face in pretty clothes that could higher his social status. Stiles looked at her like he could really see her for who she was. It made her feel beautiful the way he would stare adoringly at her and it brought the fluttering of butterflies to her stomach.

Over the past few weeks the two had gotten closer than Lydia had ever expected. She found that they complimented each other after she got to know him as more than just the boy who drooled after her with a little crush. Stiles could match her intellectually and wasn't afraid to speak his mind in front of her. He told her she was beautiful and meant it, not expecting anything in return like others did. And he didn't judge her for being what she was, a banshee. He actually told her to embrace her supernatural-ness and not let it hold her back.

Lydia gazed back into his chocolate brown eyes. She thought of his long unrequited love for her and found that maybe after all this time it wasn't only one sided anymore.

A warm blush crept up her cheeks at the thought, giving her a rosy hue.

"So what are you doing tonight? It's Friday, anything interesting?" he asked her. Stiles took in her pink cheeks and wondered what made her blush this time. She had been turning red a lot around him lately.

"Nothing special. Allison and I were just thinking of getting a bite to eat tonight and then catching a movie."

Stiles nodded. "Sounds like fun compared to what me and Scott plan to do." He lowered his voice and leaned so Lydia could hear his next words. "We're gonna try and figure out a few things with the Alpha-slash-darach situation."

Lydia raised her delicate eyebrows at his words. "Fun," she drawled out sarcastically.

"I know, right? So you and Allison better have enough fun for me and Scott, too," he told her with a cheeky grin. She smiled and gave a small giggle.

"Sure, Stiles," she giggled.

Stiles grinned. He loved the sound of her tinkling laughter in his ears. It was heaven.

He made to speak again but Allison beat him to the punch and cut whatever he was going to say off, disappointing both Stiles and Lydia.

"Let's go, Lydia. Say goodbye to Stiles." Allison gave a teasing smile as she looked at Lydia, eyeing her still red cheeks and the wide grin on Stiles' face.

Lydia's pink face turned a shade darker at her best friend's knowing look and turned to look back at the cute boy beside her as the two began to walk away. "See you later, Stiles," she called out, giving him a small wave.

"Bye." He raised his hand and waved back until they were out of sight, counting down the hours until he got to see her again on Monday.

**OOOOOO**

On the drive to Lydia's house, Allison couldn't help but steal glances at her best friend. There had been obvious changes in Lydia recently that Allison wasn't able to ignore since she and Jackson broke up.

Lydia had been less obsessed with boys and partying, and it hadn't been for the lack of offers or trying from all the boys at their school. Once everyone knew that she was single again boys flocked and asked her out, but she politely declined every offer. She just didn't seem interested anymore.

And since the killings had started again, and the arrival of the Alphas, Lydia had inevitably gotten even closer to Scott and Stiles than before, but more so to Stiles. She seemed to genuinely like him once she got to know him. He was more than just another boy who had a crush on her.

On more than one occasion Allison had caught Lydia staring at him in the middle of their English class or in the halls when she thought no one was looking. She thought it was cute how Lydia would blush and look away whenever someone brought up Stiles' name in conversation without knowingly doing so.

Stiles' love for Lydia was common knowledge to basically the entire student body. And with the way she had been acting around him lately, it seemed as if there may be hope of the two finally becoming a couple after all this time.

Lydia pulled the visor down and checked her lipstick in the mirror. "Stop looking at me like that," she said, puckering her lips to reapply a thin coating of lip gloss.

"Since when does Lydia Martin blush when she talks to a boy?" Allison asked slyly. "Or should I say to Stiles?" As if on cue a rosy pink hue stained Lydia's cheeks.

They paused at a red light. Allison grinned and pointed at one of her friend's cheeks triumphantly. "See? That's what I'm talking about! If someone so much as says his name you blush bright red!"

"Okay, fine! I might have a teeny tiny crush on Stiles," she admitted.

Allison smirked. "I think it's more than just a crush."

Lydia rolled her eyes and denied it, albeit a little halfheartedly. But maybe Allison was right. It would explain the feelings she had been having when it came to Stiles lately. And it would match up with her thoughts and feelings from earlier. She had felt something more than just attraction when they had spoken.

She had felt this sense of completeness when she had stood next to him, like everything was right in the world. Lydia felt comfortable with Stiles unlike she did when she was with Jackson. With him it felt like their entire relationship was just pretense and they were only together because they looked good as a couple.

Stiles made her heart beat just a little faster than normal when he was near. And just thinking about him would start her pulse racing in her veins and make her face flush red with heat. On more than one occasion when she was with him she had thought about what it would like to kiss those soft lips of his or even to just hold his hand. And she was able to admit to herself that if she were really to do those things she would feel happy and not obligated to do so.

If they were actually in a relationship, Stiles would care about her infinitely more than Jackson ever would have.

Stiles actually cared about her well being.

Lydia was shaken from her thoughts as Allison pulled to a stop in from of her house. The two made plans for Allison to pick her up in a couple of hours before she shouldered her purse and gathered her books in her arms and getting out.

Lydia waved from the doorstep and went inside to do the little homework she had.

**OOOOOO**

Long after she had finished her homework, Lydia had found herself lying on her bed staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom. She was daydreaming about nothing in particular as she waited for Allison to pick her up and as usual her thoughts strayed to a certain cute brown eyed boy.

Lydia had her arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers buried deep in his dark hair, anchoring her to him. His hands rested on her hips, his grip tight but not too tight. Just tight enough to tell her that this was really happening and it was him there with her.

Her pulse raced beneath her skin and her eyes roamed over his face. She took in every curve of his face, his eyes, his nose, and committed them to memory.

Stiles smiled sexily and brought his face closer to hers. "So beautiful," he whispered, his sweet breath washing over her face.

She smiled and tilted her head upwards until their mouths were a hairs breadth away. Her eyes fluttered closed, hiding away her green eyes from him.

"Lydia," he breathed softly, sweetly. His hands squeezed her hips gently before their lips touched softly once, twice, three times. His lips were soft but urgent on hers, telling her everything that went unsaid between them. She smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, letting him know that she had heard him loud and clear.

They pulled apart with one last gentle caress, their eyes bright and dazed from the kiss.

The doorbell ringing downstairs and the sound of her phone buzzing incessantly beside her woke Lydia. Her eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright in bed, snatching at her phone. A low groan escaped her lips at what she saw. Ten text messages from Allison, each one more frantic than the last, with at least a dozen missed calls from her, too.

She must have fallen asleep without realizing it. And Allison must have automatically assumed that something had happened to her since she didn't answer her phone immediately.

The sound of the doorbell ringing through the house again jump starts Lydia into action and she quickly stuffed her phone into her red purse and grabbed her jacket.

She rushed down the stairs, keys in hand, and wrenched open the front door just as Allison had raised her hand to start pounding on it.

"Lydia!" She sighed in relief and wrapped her arms tightly around the petite redhead's shoulders. Allison squeezed her tightly once before pulling back to look at her. "Why didn't you answer your phone? I was starting to think something had happened to you."

Lydia grimaced guiltily and met Allison's wide brown eyes. "Sorry. I fell asleep."

Allison frowned and searched her face, looking for signs that said otherwise. Satisfied that her friend was telling the truth she smiled, relieved, her shoulders sagging in relief.

"Let's have some fun tonight."

Lydia smiled wryly at her best friend. "You obviously need some."

**OOOOOO**

On the drive to the restaurant, Lydia had caught sight of her hair in the side mirror and almost shrieked. It was mussed with sleep still and that simply was not acceptable. She quickly grabbed her brush from her purse and ran it through her red locks until her hair was smooth and not a hair out of place.

She glanced at her reflection one more time before deciding to put some lip gloss on and fixing her makeup. She didn't want to been seen in public without a little makeup on.

After some time she noticed the frown on Allison's face and the furrow between her brows. Obviously something more than just worrying about Lydia had upset her earlier.

"What's wrong?"

Allison took her eyes off the road for a second to look at Lydia. "It's probably nothing but I got a weird call from Scott just before I went to pick you up."

Lydia frowned in confusion. "What did he say?"

"Just to be careful tonight."

The two fell into silence at her ominous words. Maybe going out tonight wasn't such a good idea after all.

**OOOOOO**

The two girls were seated at a corner table at the little Italian place they had decided to eat at. Conversation was strained as they fought to find a topic that didn't involve werewolves, dark druids, or any other type of supernatural being. That night was supposed to be about forgetting about all of those things but neither could help but think about them after Allison had told Lydia about Scott's call.

When Lydia couldn't take it anymore she slammed her menu down on the table, startling Allison. "Okay, that's enough! No more supernatural crap. We're supposed to be forgetting about it tonight and it's all we can think about right now," she exclaimed.

Allison nodded. "You're right. It'll do us no good to think about it anyway."

Their waiter came by just then with their drinks and took their orders. He was tall with blond hair and baby blue eyes that were only for Lydia. When he left, Allison smirked at her friend.

Lydia sipped at her drink and glanced up at her. "What?"

"He was hot, don't you think? And he was totally checking you out."

She shrugged and twirled her straw around in her drink. She had barely looked at him and what she did see didn't impress her. "He was alright. Not my type though."

Allison smirked at her again. "Then who is your type, Lydia? Stiles?" she asked. And as if on cue a vibrant red blush overtook Lydia's face.

The memory of her dream earlier came to mind at the mention of his name and she felt her face heat even more. The kiss had felt real and she wished that it actually was. Lydia smiled softly to herself at her sudden revelation. And as she continued to think of the cute brown eyed boy she spends an inordinate amount of time with she also realized that she wanted to spend even more time with him than she usually did.

Allison's smirk softened as she watched her best friend smile to herself and sigh softly at whatever she was thinking about. She suspected that she was thinking of Stiles with the look she saw in Lydia's eyes. It was obvious that what she was feeling was most definitely more than a crush.

The brunette was sure that Lydia was in love with Stiles and just didn't know it yet.

The two went out and did things together without her, Scott, or Isaac all of the time, going out on dates whether they knew it or not. They were practically a couple already.

She briefly wondered if she should tell Stiles that Lydia liked him but scrapped the idea almost as soon as it had formed in her mind. No, Lydia should tell him herself when she was ready on her own time. Besides, Lydia would have killed Allison once she found out and that would not have been a pretty sight.

After some time Lydia finally answered her. "Yeah, he is. And you were right earlier."

Allison frowned in confusion. "About what?"

"About it being more than a crush," she admitted, her lips curling into a small smile as she thought of him again.

"Really?"

Lydia gave a resolute nod. "Really." And she was going to tell him the next time she saw him no matter what.

Their meals came out a moment later and the blonde waiter tried to gain Lydia's attention again only to no avail.

Only one guy could capture and hold Lydia Martin's attention and he wasn't there.

**OOOOOO**

Two and a half hours later Lydia and Allison left the movie theatre. They had just watched some sappy rom-com where the guy got the girl in the end and rode off into the sunset with their happily ever after despite the terribly difficult circumstances that kept them apart. The movie was stupid and unrealistic in Lydia's opinion but was exactly what she needed to get her mind off the weirdness the town had to offer.

As the two girls walked back to where Allison's car was parked, Allison's phone started to ring. They paused on the sidewalk as she answered the call. Lydia watched as Allison's expression went from calm and relaxed, almost happy, to alarm and before finally taking on a serious expression.

She gave a clipped a response to whoever was on the other end before hanging up and turning to Lydia. "That was Scott. He needs our help."

Lydia frowned as they hurried down the sidewalk. "But I thought him and Stiles were staying in, doing research or something?" she asked incredulous.

They got into Allison's car a beat later and sped off into the night, going in the opposite direction of both Stiles' and Scott's houses. "They were but then Derek called, saying something about Deucalion wanting to have a meeting. It turned into a fight and Scott needs some backup. It makes sense why Scott called the first time now," Allison explained hurriedly.

And it was official - no matter what they did there was no escaping the supernatural for even a couple hours. The thought upset Lydia but she accepted it. After all she was part of supernatural herself and there was no escaping that part of her either. It would just have to become the norm to have to deal with this crap no matter how much she didn't like it.

Lydia sighed and looked out the window, watching the trees pass by them in a blur. It was going to be a long night.

Minutes later they pulled over on the side of the road leading out of town next to the tree line. The two girls quickly scrambled out of the car and went around to the back. Allison opened the trunk and handed Lydia a black flashlight before arming herself with weapons. She attached a quiver full of flash bolts to her back, tucked a Chinese ring dagger into each of her boots, before finally grabbing her bow. Allison quickly tied her hair back and as she glanced at Lydia she noticed the perplexed look on her friend's face.

"What?"

Lydia raised the flashlight and balanced it in her hand, feeling the weight of it. "Why is it so heavy? No flashlight should be this heavy."

"It's a Maglite. You can use it to defend yourself if something happens," she told her.

"A flashlight?" she asked dubiously, her eyebrows raised disbelievingly. Lydia couldn't see herself swinging it at some werewolf that wanted to kill her.

Allison smiled grimly. "Hey, at least it's better than a baseball bat."

Lydia shrugged but held onto the flashlight. It was better that she had something that was practical in more than one way. If she had been handed one of Allison's normal weapons she wouldn't have had the slightest idea how to use it without hurting herself, especially in the dark when she could even see her hand in front of her face.

They closed the trunk of Allison's car and began their trek to wherever Scott and the others were. Even with the aid of Lydia's flashlight neither of the girls could see very far in front of them. The trees were thick and dense, preventing any moonlight to stream down through the branches to help guide the girls. Weirdly shaped sinister shadows seemed to have claws that reached out as if to snatch them away into the darkness.

As the two girls moved quickly through the forest, Lydia felt her pulse race and adrenaline pump through her blood as the fear ate at her. She didn't like the feeling and she didn't even know why she was so scared. It wasn't as if this was the first time that she was unwittingly thrown into a fight that wasn't her own to fight.

These were Scott's and Derek's and Isaac's and every other werewolf's fight to have to deal with. Not hers or Allison's or...Stiles'.

Her heart beat just a little faster as she thought of him. And then she realized why she was so scared.

He was out there.

Stiles was out there and he could have been hurt. Or worse...but no, she wasn't going to even entertain that thought. It would only make the fear worse and that wouldn't help anyone.

Abruptly Allison stopped and her arm shot out to prevent Lydia from moving any further.

"Wait," she whispered, eyes roaming around them, searching for something.

"What is it?" Lydia whispered back. She watched as Allison brought a finger up to her mouth and quickly loaded her bow. Lydia pointed the flashlight in the direction Allison was facing, seeing only trees and nothing more.

"Allison?"

"Did you hear that?" she whispered back.

Lydia threw her dark haired friend an incredulous look. Was she crazy? "Hear what, Allison? I don't hear anything," she hissed. The only thing Lydia could hear was the sound of her own pulse thundering in her ears.

An agonized scream of pain pierced the air just then, raising the hairs on Lydia's arms and draining the blood from her face.

"Scott," Allison breathed before running off in the direction the scream had come from. Lydia took off after her, screaming her name and begging her to slow down. But she was faster and soon left the banshee behind in the darkness.

She stood there, flashlight in hand, and deliberated between going after Allison or to just turn back. If Lydia were to attempt to follow Allison it was likely that she would get lost and end up being the latest casualty in the long string of dead bodies that turn up in Beacon Hills. But if she were to turn back now, the chances of her getting back to the car were very high. Without a second thought Lydia turned back toward the direction they had come from and slowly made her way toward the car.

As she walked through the trees Lydia couldn't help but think of Stiles. She wondered if he was alright, or if he had somehow gotten hurt and was now lying somewhere on the forest floor, bleeding to death all alone with no hope of being rescued. No. She shook the thought from her head and told herself not to think like that. And besides, wouldn't she have screamed if someone was going to die?

The sound of leaves and branches crackling and breaking under the weight of someone's body as they ran touched Lydia's ears. She froze in fear as the sounds got louder and closer to where she stood. Her fingers gripped at the handle of the flashlight tightly and she silently prayed to whatever deity that would listen. The sound of heavy labored breaths accompanied the loud unrelenting footsteps as they got closer and closer to where she stood.

With adrenaline coursing through her veins and heart beating a furious tattoo in her chest, Lydia wrapped her hands around the flashlight, closed her eyes, turned around and swung.

"Whoa!" she heard before the flashlight was stopped and plucked from her fingers.

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice and once she caught sight of those warm chocolate brown eyes Lydia threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Stiles!" she shrieked, relieved. He wrapped his arms tight around her waist and hugged her back, just as relieved to see her.

They pulled apart and she stared up at him, relieved to see him. She scanned his body quickly for signs of injury and was pleased to find that he didn't have a scratch on him. She smiled softly up at him and quickly hugged Stiles again before gripping his hand tightly in her own.

Stiles smiled down at her before sobering up some and becoming serious. "Lydia, what were you doing out here all alone? You could have gotten hurt."

He watched her raise a brow up at him and place a hand on her hip. "I could say the same to you, Stilinski." She had him there, but still. Lydia Martin should not be out in the forest alone with only a Maglite to protect her from the supernatural monsters in their hometown.

"And I wasn't alone. I was with Allison before she ran off and left me," she told him.

His brow furrowed at her words. "Why'd she run?"

"She heard Scott scream."

Ah, that made sense. He had heard him scream, too, but both Scott and Derek had told him to go by the time he actually heard it and if he had gone back, there wouldn't have been anything he could have done. He only would have gotten in the way.

Stiles squeezed Lydia's hand in his own in what he hoped was a reassuring manor. "Come on, let's go."

Together they made their way through the forest toward the road where Stiles had parked his Jeep. The forest was eerily quiet except for the crunching of dried leaves beneath their feet.

A light fluttering of breeze brought wisps of Lydia's hair through the air and a slight chill to her skin. She raised her hands up to rub at the skin of her exposed arms and shivered slightly, wishing that she hadn't left her jacket in Allison's car.

Stiles glanced at the petite redhead beside him out of the corner of his eye. He had been in love with her since the third grade and she had never once given him a second glance until all of this crap had started. Lydia had always been that beautiful, aloof girl that didn't seem to care for anyone but herself. But he knew that she cared for others.

He was one of them.

It was eight years ago, right after his mother had died. Stiles had been hiding from the other kids at school. He didn't want them to see him cry. But she had stumbled upon him. Literally, Lydia had stumbled and fell right over him. She was going to yell at him, he could tell from the look on her face, but she took one look at his tear stained face and hugged him.

He could remember the words she had said to him. "I know she's gone now, but I don't think she wanted you to sit here crying like this, Stiles." And then she hugged him again before helping him stand and going back to where everyone else was waiting.

Stiles doubted that she even remembered that but the memory had stuck with him after all these years.

It was one of the reasons why he had fallen in love with her.

He glanced at her again just as a shiver ran down Lydia's spine again. Without a second thought he shrugged out of his red sweatshirt and offered it to her with a hesitant smile.

Lydia gave him a grateful smile as he helped her put it on. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Their eyes met as his hands lingered on her shoulders for a moment before both quickly looked away as deep red blushes crept up their necks and stained their faces. After a moment they looked back at each other, shared an awkward smile, and continued through the darkness.

The feeling of being watched a few minutes later made the hair on the back of Lydia's neck prickle. Her eyes scanned the area around them and she froze. She grabbed Stiles' hand, the fear choking her tightly into silence and icing her heart over. She wanted to scream but couldn't. A shiver ran down her spine and she swallowed hard. She tugged on his arm, eyes trained on the terrifying sight.

He looked down at her questioningly, wondering why they had stopped. "What is it?"

With a shaky hand Lydia pointed at the bright, glowing red eyes that stared back at them from in between the trees. He stiffened beside her and gripped her hand just as tightly as she was gripping his. The flashlight slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. Light spilled across the forest floor and illuminated the hulking shape of the man-beast.

This was not the night to be out in the woods alone.

The red eyes glared back at them in the darkness with a wicked glint in them, almost daring them to run.

Hearts beating furiously in their chests and adrenaline pumping through their veins, Stiles and Lydia turned on their heels and ran back the way they had come, toward the sounds of the fighting that still went on far up ahead. Lydia tripped and fell over nonexistent branches and roots in the ground in her haste to get away but Stiles always caught and righted her just before she could go down and take him with her.

Behind them a vicious wolf chased after them, snarling and foaming at the mouth for their deaths. Its red eyes glowed sinisterly in the night, revealing the true evil within.

Taking a chance, Stiles looked back over his shoulder at the beast. He got an eyeful of the monster and told his legs to move faster.

It had great big furry ears sticking up on its head.

The better to hear their last breaths when it killed them.

The big red eyes of an alpha.

The better to see him and Lydia before it murdered them in cold blood.

Gigantic wolfy paws with long, sharp claws protruding from them.

The better to tear open their bodies and spill their guts on the forest floor.

And big sharp teeth in its mouth.

_The better to eat them with. _

The two teenagers ran through the forest, their lives hanging in the balance once again. One would have thought that running like this would have been normal by now. But it wasn't, not even by a long shot. Running for their lives was never going to be just some normal day-to-day activity for Stiles and Lydia.

Suddenly Lydia's foot caught on a real root protruding from the ground and they both went tumbling down to the ground. They quickly scrambled to their feet but it was too late - the wolf had gained on them and any distance they had put between them was quickly dwindling away.

Lydia held Stiles' face tightly between her hands and stared up into his tear-filled chocolate brown eyes. They were going to die and both of them knew it. This wasn't how she had envisioned herself telling him how she felt about him but it may be her only chance ever to do so.

Stiles mirrored her position, cradling her face delicately between his hands. Lydia had never looked as beautiful to him as she did just then, wearing his red hoodie with tears streaming down her face.

He wished this wasn't the end.

Her voice trembled with her fear but her words were strong and true. "This isn't the way I had wanted to tell you, but this may be my only chance. Stiles, I love you. I love your sarcastic jokes and the way you make me feel beautiful and how you know just the right thing to say at just the right time. I love you for a million other things but most of all I love you for being you!"

And then suddenly they were kissing.

It wasn't a sweet first kiss that promised other kisses just as sweet in the future. Or even one like the kiss Lydia had in her dream.

The kiss was rough and desperate with teeth bumping painfully against the others. They poured all the emotions they felt in that moment into that one searing kiss for fear that it may be their last.

They broke apart for well needed air with panted breath and rested their foreheads against the others. Stiles gave her a watery smile and wiped the tears beneath her beautiful green eyes with the pads of his thumbs.

He opened his mouth to say something, but never got the chance. They heard the growl of the werewolf, a mere ten feet away from them.

Ice ran down their spines and Stiles quickly pulled Lydia against his chest, wrapping her tightly in the enclosure of his arms, just before she gave a bloodcurdling scream.

At the same moment the werewolf leaped at them, Stiles closed his eyes and concentrated on the girl in his arms. He breathed in the sweet floral scent of her perfume that he had always loved and focused on the feel of her body pressed against his, waiting for the pain to come.

But it never did.

The whooshing sound of an arrow flying by his head came instead followed by a bang bang. An awful agonizing howl pierced the air immediately after and Stiles held Lydia tighter in his arms as she whimpered. A familiar growl thundered near them. Stiles' eyes snapped open at the sound.

Standing in a defensive positions in front of him were Scott, Isaac, Derek, Peter, and Cora. Over Lydia's head he saw Allison with her bow raised in front of her, arrow at the ready, her expression fierce. All of them had bright red blood dripping from fresh wounds with bruises forming but other than that they looked fine.

Stiles looked back over at the unidentified alpha. The beast snarled at the other wolves and swiped at Cora who stood closest. She went flying back, taking Isaac down with her.

Allison released her arrow and a bright flash of light illuminated the night. The alpha coiled back, arms raised to shield his face.

Seeing their chance the others jumped in and attacked him. Derek slashed at him with his claws, leaving behind deep gashes on his chest. Enraged, the werewolf brought his arm up and hit Derek square in the chest and sent him flying back about fifteen feet into a tree, knocking him unconscious.

Peter and Scott circled around the alpha, looking for the perfect opening to take him down. They shared a look and then both dived at him. The combined impact of both Scott and Peter sent the alpha down to the ground, dirt kicking up into the air as they skidded a few feet across the forest floor.

A sharp intake of breath came from beside Stiles and the next thing he knew Allison was running closer to the fight. She pulled another of her flash bolts from her quiver and loaded her bow. The wolves tumbled across the forest floor, preventing her from taking another shot. It seemed as if they were gaining the upper hand before a loud gasp suddenly flew from her mouth as Scott's prone body went sailing through the air and landed not far from where Isaac and Cora laid.

"Scott!" she called out, panicked, before taking off into a run and dropping down next to him.

And then it was only Peter left to fight the alpha.

He seemed to realize this and began to attack with more fervor, drawing more red blood with each blow. The alpha gnashed his teeth at the older Hale and brought a heavy hand down to claw at him. Peter leaped back just before getting a blow to the head. Blue eyes met red and Peter saw his opening. His hand shot out like lightning and snatched the alpha's throat out, killing him.

For a long time it was silent except for the moans and groans of the others waking up. Allison brought Scott's arm up around her shoulders and helped him stand just as Derek came striding out of the darkness between the trees, a hand raised to the back of his head. He went over to Cora and Isaac and helped them to their feet before looking around.

"Where's Peter?"

The teens looked around them and only saw the dead body of the alpha.

He was gone.

Slowly Lydia pulled her face away from Stile's chest and looked around them. She caught sight of the dead body, red blood oozing from the big gaping hole where the the throat was supposed to be, and quickly buried her head against Stiles' chest again. He held her tight and whispered soothing words of comfort.

"When can we go?" she whimpered, fingers curling painfully around his shirt.

Stiles ran a hand up and down her back. "Soon." He looked up at Derek. "Right?"

Derek huffed and rolled his eyes but looked at the scared and battle-wounded teenagers and then back at the body. "Go. I'll take care of the body."

Stiles didn't have to be told twice. He quickly ushered Lydia around the body, careful not to let her see it, and made his way toward where his Jeep was parked with her close to his side. Once there he opened the passenger side door for Lydia and helped her up before hopping into the driver's seat and taking off.

The silence was tense between the two teens as Stiles drove. It made Lydia nervous and she could tell that he was, too, by the way his fingers fidgeted on the steering wheel every few seconds.

Minutes later they pulled up in front of Lydia's house. She stared at the dark house through the windshield and sighed to herself. Her mom wasn't home again. Her eyes flickered to Stiles' face just as he looked away.

"Can I stay with you tonight? I don't think I can sleep alone after what happened back there." She smiled hopefully at him, eyes pleading.

Stiles nodded. He couldn't say no to her. "Yeah, sure. No problem."

"Thanks."

They pulled up in front of the Stilinski residence after turning down a few streets later and before Lydia had the chance to open her door Stiles was there to do it for her. He took her hand and helped her down to the ground. Their eyes met and she saw uncertainty in his deep chocolate brown pools.

Stiles led her inside his house and they settled in to watch some comedy. A half hour into the movie he suddenly paused it and turned to face the beautiful girl beside him.

"Did you mean it?"

Lydia's bright green eyes met his and she slowly nodded, gripping his hand in her own. "Every word. I love you, Stiles."

He smiled goofily, relieved that this beautiful, unattainable girl wasn't messing with him. "Good, because I love you, too, Lydia Martin," he whispered softly, pulling her petite body into his lap.

They shared a slow, sweet passionate kiss and the moment that it began to escalate they pulled away. That was the kiss that should have been their first, but neither seemed to mind as long as they were together and alive to enjoy and explore their new found relationship.

Stiles hit play and the pair settled in to fully enjoy the movie. An hour later they fell asleep, the end credits rolling on the screen. Stiles was sprawled out along the length of the sofa with Lydia's head resting against his chest, their legs tangled together.

And that was how Sheriff Stilinski found them when he got home. He chuckled quietly to himself and threw the quilted blanket over them before heading up to bed, pretending that he didn't just see Lydia wrapped tightly in the arms of his son wearing his red sweatshirt as they slept in his living room.

**OOOOOO**

A week had passed since the attack by the alpha.

The darach had been revealed to be their English teacher, Jennifer Blake, who had previously formed a relationship with Derek. She was dead now, though, after killing Kali, snapping the connection the twins had that made them that one big beast of a werewolf, and giving Deucalion his eyesight back. Deucalion had then repaid her by taking her life.

Derek was no longer an alpha either. He reverted back to a beta to save Cora because of something Jennifer had done to her. Soon after, they left Beacon Hills on a mission to find something important.

But they would be back.

It wouldn't be Beacon Hills without Derek's sour wolf self.

Peter was still missing. That concerned everyone since he had become an alpha by killing the one that night and no one knew what crazy, deranged Uncle Peter had up his sleeve. But they would be prepared for him when he resurfaced.

Scott and Allison had officially became a couple again after Isaac had basically blew up at them, telling them that they should just get back together and to stop pretending that they didn't love each other. Isaac had been the only one with the balls to say something to their faces.

As for Stiles and Lydia, well, they were as happy as ever.

They were happily together and were perfect for each other. Once the news broke out over campus, everyone but their friends was surprised. They hadn't seen that coming for miles. No one expected Lydia Martin to be dating Stiles, but they accepted it once they saw how much in love they were.

Secretly, people were taking bets on how long the relationship would last.

Some thought a couple weeks.

Others thought a few months or perhaps right up until they graduated high school.

But they were all going to be disappointed.

Stiles and Lydia would be together for longer than that. Much longer.


End file.
